World Bank on East Asia: Improve Labour Standards to Boost Economies and Trade

By ICFTU

A World Bank report has recommended that East Asian governments improve their labour standards, in order to boost economic performance

Governments in the region had repeatedly refused to discuss the issue of trade and labour standards, claiming that export performance would suffer; now the World Bank report turns that argument on its head.

The Report -"East Asia Integrates: A Trade Policy for Shared Growth" - emphasises very clearly that the long-standing opposition of East Asian governments to raising labour standards is not justified, stating "The fierce resistance of many in the region...may be misplaced". The report shows that export performance will be improved, not threatened, if governments in the region improve their labour standards.